Cutting device



May 2%, 1936.

D. w LEE CUTTING DEVICE Filed Aug. 12, 1935 Mentor DANIEL W. LEE

Patented May 26, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CUTTING DEVICE Daniel W. Lee, Philadelphia, Pa.

Application August 12, 1935, Serial No. 35,803

3 Claims.

This invention relates generally to improvements in cutting devices and has for its principal object the provision of a simple, inexpensive and efficient device adapted for use in cutting or 5 shearing paper and the like along straight or curved lines, as may be desired.

Further objects of the invention are to provide a handle-equipped cutting blade of such character'as to enable it to be used alternatively to cut or shear the material by a forwardly directed push stroke or by a rearwardly directed pull stroke; to provide a cutting device having means preventing the material being cut from wrinkling or otherwise becoming displaced during the cutting op- 15 eration, thereby insuring the provision of a sharp,

smooth cut; to provide a cutting device having means to pierce the material to be cut at any desired point at which the line of cut is to originate; and to provide a device having means for insuring not only against abrasion of the surface upon which the material being cut is placed but also against abrasion of or other injury to the material itself.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear more fully from a consideration of the following detailed specification from which it will also appear that the invention consists substantially in the combination, construction, location and relative arrangement I of parts, all as will appear more fully hereinafter, as shown in the accompanying drawing and as finally pointed out in the appended claims. In the said accompanying drawing, which exemplifies and illustrates a preferred construction of the device embodying the principles of the present invention:-

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the cutting device of the said invention;

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on the line 22 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a perspective view of a slightly modified form of the invention;

Figurel is an end elevational View taken along the line-4--4 of Figure 2;

Figures 5 and 6 illustrate the alternative methods of employing the device; and

Figure '7 is a view of the cutting blade per se;

Referring now more particularly to the drawing, itwill be observed that the device of the present invention consists essentially of two principal 5O- parts, namely, the cutting blade l0 and the handle or holder for the blade. The blade holder I is preferably formed of a metal blank which is bent into theshape shown to provide a centrally disposed clamping head 2 and a pair of opposite- 65 1y projecting wings |3-|3. The intermediate sections I l-I l of the blank, which form part of the clamping head, are disposed in parallel relation and are spaced apart sufficiently to permit the blade H] to be snugly accommodated therebetween. The opposed. wing sections |3|3 are each of angular formation and comprise the branches l5, l6 and H. Preferably, the fore and rear edges |8I9 of each of the branches l'||'|, which latter commonly lie in a horizontal plane, are rounded or otherwise dulled for a purpose which will be apparent hereinafter. It will be understood, of course, that the holder may be formed by casting or molding it into the shape shown, in which event materials other than metal may well be employed.

The cutting blade ll, which is shown in Figure '7, is formed of thin fiat stock, such as tempered steel, the main body 20 thereof being of substantially rectangular outline and having at its forward edge an integrally formed depending portion 2|. The outer or forward edge of the portion 2| is sharpened, as at 22, throughout its entire extent, this being the edge which is employed to sever or cut the material in the manner to be presently described. Extending forwardly from the bottom edge of the depending portion 2| of the blade is a pointed projection 23 which is adapted topierce the material to be cut and which serves additionally to raise the said material slightly above the surface upon which it is placed to facilitate the cutting operation. At this point, it will'be observed that the sharpened cutting edge 22 of the blade extends vertically upwardly along the forward edge of the depending portion 2| of the blade and thence rearwardly toward the for ward edge of the main body of the blade. The cutting edge is thus composed of two sections 220. and 22b forming an obtuse angle therebetween, the apex of which is rounded, as at 220. The main body 2|! of the blade is provided with an aperture 24 therein which is adapted to register with similar apertures provided in the opposed sections |4|4 of the holder.

The blade II] is held in place within its holder in any suitable manner. In Figure 1 this is accomplished by means of a rivet 25 which is projected through the aligned apertures in the holder and blade, thus providing for a permanent assembly between the blade and holder. In Figure 3 the blade is removably clamped within the holder by means of a bolt 26 or other such removable securing element. It will be observed that in either case, the main body 20 of the blade is securely clamped between the opposed sections |4|4 of the holder and that due to the fact that the upper edge 21 of the blade main body 20 is substantially straight and is in intimate contact throughout its entire extent with the under surface of the head I2 of the holder, the blade is effectually prevented from oscillating about the pin 25 (see Figure 1) or the bolt 25 (see Figure 3) as a pivot or from otherwise moving relatively to the holder H. Preferably, the main body 20 of the blade is of a length equal to that of the clamping head [2 of the holder.

The device is capable of being used alternatively to cut the material by an upwardly directed push stroke or by a rearwardly directed pull stroke. Figure 5 illustrates the former, while Figure 6 illustrates the latter of these two methods of employing the device. As appears quite clearly in Figure 5, where it is desired to cut the material by the use of a forwardly directed push stroke, the pointed projection 23 of theblade is first caused to pierce the material to be cut, immediately following which the device is positioned so that the sections I'l-Il of the oppositely directed wings of the blade holder rest firmly upon the upper surface of the sheet of material to be cut. In this position of the device, it will be apparent that the pointed projection 23 of the blade will underlie the sheet of material and so cause it to be lifted slightly above the surface of the table or the like upon which the sheet is supported. In this connection, it is important to note that normally the bottom edge 28 of the cutting part of the blade is disposed in the horizontal plane of the bottom surfaces of the sections ll -l'l of the blade holder.

By pressing the blade holder downwardly so that the opposed sections l|--l1 thereof more or less lightly engage the upper surface of the sheet of material to either side of the line to be cut, and. at the same time moving the device forwardly along the said cutting line, an exceedingly sharp cut is obtained. In Figure 5, the line of this cut is designated by the reference character A. The oppositely projecting wings of the device function to hold down the sheet in the immediate vicinity of the cutting edge and so prevent the sheet being cut from wrinkling or buckling or otherwise becoming displaced during the cutting operation. By rounding or otherwise dulling the edges 18 and I9 of each of the sections l 1-H which are in intimate contact with the upper surface of the material being cut, the danger of these sections abrading or otherwise injuring the said surface of the material is eliminated.

It will be understood, of course, that the projection 23, which rides along beneath the sheet of material in advance of the cutting edge serves no function during the cutting operation except to lift the sheet slightly above the supporting surface for the sheet being cut. Consequently, when the end' of a line to be cut is reached and the sheet has not been completely severed, to remove the device from the sheet it is merely necessary to withdraw it sufiiciently to permit the projection 23 to be lifted away from the paper through the opening made during the cutting operation.

The device when used in the manner above described and shown in Figure 5 may be employed to cut a line in the uppermost one of a number of superimposed sheets of paper without disturbing or cutting through any of the sheets except the topmost one thereof. This is accomplished by reason of the fact that the projection 23 of the cutting blade raises the sheet to be cut sufficiently above the surface of the next lower sheet to thereby permit the topmost sheet to be cut without disturbing any other sheet. The bottom edge 28 of the cutting blade which rests upon the sheet immediately beneath that being cut is sufficiently'blunt so as not to make any impression upon or otherwise abrade or injure the surface 5 of the sheet underlying that being cut. Such a device is therefore ideal for cutting clippings from newspapers, magazines and the like with a minimum of damage to pages or sheets adjoining that containing the cut-out clipping. 10

Figure 6 illustrates the alternative method of using the device wherein the cutting is effected by a rearwardly directed pull stroke. In this operation of the device, it is reversed top for bottom and is held in the manner shown in Figure 6 15 so that the rounded nose 220 of the cutting blade is in position to perform the cutting operation, the line of cutting being designated in Figure 6 by the reference character B. In this connection, it is important to note that the rounded nose 220 of the cutting edge projects forwardly of a straight line intersecting the corner 29 of the blade and the point of the piercer 23. This is provided so that a sufliciently deep cut may be made without interference either by the upper forward 25 edge of the blade holder ID or the point of the piercer 23.

It will be understood, of course, that the device is adapted for uses other than those indicated herein and may be employed generally 30 for any and all cutting operations to which it may be suited. Accordingly, it is not intended to restrict the device of the present invention to any particular use. It will be understood also that the device is susceptible of various changes in its constructional details without departing from the real spirit or general principles of the invention as hereinbefore expressed and the invention is accordingly defined broadly, as well as specifically, in the appended claims.

What is claimed as new and useful is:

1. In a cutting device of the character described, in combination, a cutting blade having a cutting edge formed of angularly related sections joined together by an. intermediate curved section, one of said sections being substantially vertically disposed and adapted to sever a sheet of material when the blade is pushed horizontally forward, means extending forwardly of and formed as an integral part of said cutting blade for maintaining the sheet in cutting relation with respect to said cutting edge during the cutting operation aforesaid, and a holder for the blade including oppositely projecting wings adapted to engage the material being out upon either side of the cutting line whereby the said material is restrained against buckling or other displacement during the said forward cutting stroke of the blade.

2. In a cutting device of the character described, in combination, a cutting blade having a cutting edge formed of angularly related sections joined together by an intermediate curved section, one of said sections being substantially vertically disposed and adapted to sever a sheet of material when the blade is pushed horizontally forward, said curved intermediate section of the cutting edge being also adapted to sever the material along a given line upon holding the blade in such inverted position that the said curved section of the cutting edge tangentially engagesthe material to be cut.

3. In a cutting device of the character described, in combination, a cutting blade having a cutting edge formed of angularly related sections joined together by an intermediate curved section, one of said sections being substantially vertically disposed and adapted to sever a sheet of material when the blade is pushed horizontally forward, means for preventing disengagement of the sheet from said cutting edge during the cutting operation aforesaid, said curved intermediate section of the cutting edge being also adapted to sever the material along a given line upon holding the blade in such inverted position that the said curved section of the cutting edge tangentially engages the material to be cut, and a holder for the blade including oppositely projecting wings adapted to engage the material being out upon either side of the cutting line whereby the said material is restrained against buckling or other displacement during the said forward cutting stroke of the blade, said oppositely projecting wings constituting a substantially V-shaped seat for the index finger of the operator of the device during the operation of severing the material with the device in the inverted 10 position aforesaid.

DANIEL W. LEE. 

